Nora's Will at the Music Box

Friday was a much-deserved date night: my husband and I sat down to a candlelit dinner at Tango Sur on Southport (chimichurri forever!), then caught a film at my favorite Chicago movie theatre, the Music Box.
There is just something about the twinkling stars that flicker above and the Spanish hacienda-like surroundings: the Music Box always transports me back in time. This is the theatre that my Grandma and Grandpa went to on the occasional date. And then, has anyone ever seen a bad movie at the Music Box? (I've seen aukward first date movies there, but never a bad movie).

Directed by the award-winning Mexican writer/director Mariana Chenillo, Nora's Will left me pensive. You could say that the main protagonist is Nora herself, who despite appearing only briefly in the opening sequence and from then on, as a corpse, is lovingly and at times, bittersweetly, remembered and mourned by both her immediate and extended family. Her ex-husband is forced back into her fold and finds himself carrying through with her final wishes, whether he wants to or not. One of her last hopes is that her family unite for Passover dinner. My husband and I both appreciated this film and it sparked a lot of discussion between the two of us.

Catch Nora's Will while you can, at the Music Box Theatre.  Showtimes are HERE.


Special thanks to Menemsha Films for gifting me tickets to see this thought-provoking film.

the a.m. date

Originally published at Chicago Moms Blog

I don’t know why we never thought of this before: My husband and I, who always seem to be suffering from a shortage of just-the-two-of-us time, sadly often head out to date night half-asleep. We kind of prefer eating a homemade meal with the children, then cuddling up in bed to the warm glow of our Apple with our movie friend, Netflix – it certainly beats heading out to a crowded restaurant or uncomfy movie seats (unless it’s a more inventive/creative kind of date, such as a theater or concert date, which we do enjoy).

The thing is – or maybe it’s just us? – at the end of the day, by the time the weekend arrives, the two of us have a hard time staying alert and open-eyed on a date. It could be due to that 40+ hour work week thing coupled with the fact that while my husband literally is trying to find a cure for lung cancer, I’m trying to find a way to deal with the onslaught of 140+ teenagers that enter my classroom Monday through Friday.

We both have a surge of energy when it comes to tending our kiddos, Baby Girl, age 15 months, and Boy, age 9, but after our kind of days, dressing up for a night on the town is the last thing we’re looking to do.

Enter the a.m. date! Last week, we texted our fave babysitter, Guadalupe, and asked if she’d come watch the kids on Sunday morning. “Of course!” she texted back – reason #1 why the late a.m. date is so much better: Guadalupe is a popular gal and most of the time she’s busy on Friday or Saturday nights. But what teenage girl is busy late on a weekend morning?

Reason #2: My husband and I enjoyed a lovely drawn out brunch overlooking Lincoln Park, and then headed over to the Chicago History Museum (it had been years since either of us had been) with the glow of mimosas keeping us warm. We did some last minute Christmas shopping in peace. We were relaxed, had enough energy to talk and reconnect and then….

Reason #3: We got home just after the baby settled down for her nap and the boy nested himself on the sofa with a book, so that….be still my beating heart… my husband and I were able to catch a nap too! Ahhhh….bliss! We were refreshed enough to spend a nice evening with the kids and watch an entire movie without falling asleep before the end(!).

I think we’ll be catching more late a.m. dates in the near future.

Art on a Cold Winter's Day

Here's an artsy cure for a cold winter day, when you've been cooped up indoors for far too long: Line your kitchen floor with the Sunday newspaper, grab some colorful paints, thick and thin paintbrushes, dress your kids in their messiness-allowed gear and let them paint their own masterpieces on canvas.

Joann Fabrics has a good selection of canvases - we chose the 10x12 size - and if you use the 40% of coupon (usually there is one per week in the ad found in the Sunday Trib) you can snag one for about $3. Joann also carries colorful water-based acrylic paints for $1 each. For a palette, I used an old mini-muffin pan.

Pupa, at age 15 months, adores "drawing" and "coloring" - she already drew quite a number on her highchair -  so I knew she'd love painting. I set her up on the kitchen floor with all her artsy gear and she squealed with delight when I squirted the different paint colors into the muffin tin palette. She even said a new word: azzurro (blue). She created her masterpiece entirely on her own and it's now hanging in our dining room - it's actually quite lovely! Every time she spots it, she points to it, smiles and babbles. Look at the way she holds the brush in the photo - my little Mary Cassat!

Fratellone loves art projects too, and he made a colorful painting as well. Last week he and I also enjoyed making some Winter Sun Catchers together - you'll find them hanging on the iron fence in front of our home. Fratellone liked this project so much so that he asked to make more winter sun catchers when his cousin came over, and they spent quite awhile experimenting with food coloring. Certainly there isn't much sun to catch in Chicago these days, but the sun catchers have added a bit of color to our home with no worries of them melting away any time too soon.

The Gift of Language

Our family embraces language. In our home, you'll hear mostly Italian and of course English, but also Spanish, French and Portuguese. Our 15-month-old is already speaking her first words, and they are mostly Italian - she calls the potty the "Ciao, poo-poo!". Una bambina intelligente, no? :)

Kids soak up languages like sponges, and if you want to give them an amazing gift, give them the gift of another language and culture. Best to do so when they are young enough to fully embrace the accents and rhythms of a foreign language.
I am so happy to offer your family the opportunity to learn another language! Multilingual Chicago, an amazing language school in our great neighborhood of Logan Square, will offer one lucky reader a month of classes (a value of $95). The Winter/Spring term starts the week of Jan. 10th, but you can redeem (or enroll!) at any time). Classes for both children and adults include Spanish, Spanish Music (Fine Arts for Tots), French, Italian, Mandarin, Hindi and Korean. Check out their classes and more at http://www.multilingualchicago.com/.
To win, head over to my family travel blog Passport Family on ChicagoNOW and answer the following question in the comments section (click HERE to do so): "Why is language learning important to you?" I will choose a random winner on Monday and contact you via email. Thanks and buona fortuna!

Don’t Let the Winter Keep You Indoors: Five Fun Winter Adventures

Got cabin fever? Here are five perfect excuses to don your cold-weather gear and get outside this winter. You’ll burn calories and maybe even spot some snow-loving animals along the way. There really is nothing quite like sledding down a hill at 15 MPH, spotting soar or exploring a pristine forest, covered with a white blanket of snow.

Snoeshoeing

Snowshoeing is a great workout: It’s easy and inexpensive, and risk of injury is low. Reminiscent of the area explorers and traders of long ago, traditional snowshoes were made of wooden frames laced with rawhide; Today’s version is lightweight and super comfortable. Available at most major sporting good stores, a pair of snowshoes will cost about $50. Several area nature centers and also have snowshoes for rent, including Springbrook Nature Center in Itasca (630-773-5572; itasca.com). You can also rent snowshoes at any REI sporting goods store. Northerly Island (chicagoparkdistrict.com) offers snowshoeing instruction for all ages during its annual Polar Days, on January 22 and February 26.

Sledding and Tobagganing
Though most tobogganing runs have now been closed down, you can still enjoy the thrill of whizzing down a snow-covered hill...Read the rest of the article I wrote for Mindful Metropolis magazine HERE.